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Moonbeams and Butterfly Sneezes: how the Ice Capades teach us to find our dreams

Have you ever asked yourself, “how can I listen to the sound of the light?” Or, “can I also listen to the speed of fantasy?” Or even, “how can we commemorate Thomas Edison’s invention of the incandescent lamp while also catching a moonbeam to fantasy?”

Just normal questions for a Sunday, right?

Well, I have good news. I am able to answer these questions that haunt you.

I had plans to spend most of the weekend in comfy pants and cleaning my apartment- you know, like an exciting person- and at the last minute, I decided to actually leave the apartment, and venture to the Wisconsin Book Festival.

Pictured: Luvvie Ajayi (Awesomely Luvvie) talking about her book “I’m Judging You.” Not pictured: The guy who raised the roof in slow motion every few minutes. I liked him.

After seeing a few speakers- Luvvie Ajayi speaking on her new book I’m Judging You, and Stephen Coss, the author of The Fever of 1712: The Epidemic that Revolutionized Medicine (because those are the same)- and making rounds through the Farmer’s Market, I decided to call it a day. I had done my “be a person who goes outside” duty, but I did have a messy apartment calling my name.

Also, as someone who was once a New Yorker as someone who knows how to walk on a sidewalk, I cannot abide the Farmer’s Market past a certain point in the day.

My Saturday Haul

It was when I was walking back to my car, I saw a sign outside the library for a book sale.

Now, I don’t know if this drew upon memories of the book sales held in my elementary school library, which let’s face it, was the best day of that year and also any year after, but I took a hard left turn into the library.

While a lot has stayed the same from those days of tiny frizzy-haired Meredith making questionable ahead-of-her-time fashion choices, checking out the sticker books and bead kits when she was supposed to be spending her allowance wisely, even I have to admit, I’ve grown a little bit in the last two decades.

Standing in the library, I was able to admit to myself, “you’re not spending money right now, despite those two books you just bought in that other store and those two stalks of brussels sprouts you bought at the Farmer’s market just because they were pretty, so you probably shouldn’t get more books, even if they are selling at five dollars per bag of book.” So I decided to walk away.

That is, until, I saw the box labeled “free.”

And it was in that box that I found answers. I found delight. I found the sound of the light and the waves of the music brought together as one.

I found the new best thing I own: Programs to Ice Capades performances from the Eighties

This is going to be the best part of my next 7 days.

I saw them and thought, “I might be able to use these in a craft project,” but when I got home and started looking through it, I realized, to cut into this would be a grave error in judgement. I also realized that I cannot enjoy these alone.

Let’s capade, y’all.

Table of Contents

For ages I’ve been asking myself, “who was going to bring the sound of the light and the waves of the music together as one?” Little did I know, it was the ice.

Best musical number titles that we’re working with:

The Smurf that Learns to Fly

For Your Ice Only

Six Sexy Strangers??? (All three question marks included)

The Smurf that Learns to Fly Part II

Music a la Carte

Dancing Ribbons

Centennial of Light: The entire company celebrates the invention of the electric light bulb by Thomas A. Edison

I know what you’re thinking. Who are the skaters that bring this “fabled fantasy on skates” to life?

The Stars

Well, you can’t talk about the “kingdom of ice capers where hilarity reigns” without talking about Gigi Parcelly and Steve Pedley, better known, or if you’re like me, equally unknown as Biddy & Baddy.

Seen here: Presumably Baddy tripping Biddy. Baddy is a jerk if you ask me.

But do they “warm the ice with their silliness?” For that we have to turn to Dave n’ Joey. Both started professional skating when they appeared in their respective fathers’ comedy acts.

I’m not going to lie to you. I worry about Dave n’ Joey. Do they not understand that we don’t want ice to be warmed, with silliness or otherwise?

I believe the greatest loss our culture has ever endured is the declining popularity of ice-skating centric comedy acts. That and the fact we no longer use the word “capade.”

But not all skaters need to be comics! Some need to jump over cars! Naturally!

That would not have been my reaction to a man leaping over my car.

I would not have anticipated the production that brought you the phrase, “every new performance is born of dreams!” would choose a wood paneled van for this act.

The Musical Numbers

So yes, The Ice Capades include the big names, but let’s not forget the big musical numbers.

Like Dancing Ribbons, where we can “catch a moonbeam to our fantasy.”

Just yesterday I was wondering the best mode of transportation for traveling to my fantasy. My guess was riding the coattails of laughter.

Or Visions, where we can “hear the speed of fantasy!”

We can only really know what fantasy sounds like once we’ve caught the aforementioned moonbeam, but till then, I suspect fantasy sounds like a really good high-five. Or a Unicorn’s sneeze.

Disco Dynamite takes us through “some timely events- some memorable events- some historical events…with the latest and timeliest beat.”

That’s so many event types! And with the timeliest beat?!

Catching the Light: Costumes

But no Ice Capades show would be complete without the costumes. And I know what you’re thinking, do they “spray their skaters with a special blend of moonbeams and stardust?”It may surprise you when I say: no. Butterfly giggles? Still, no. A puppy’s ambition? Nope.

Would you believe me when I say, it’s just sequins? You don’t? Well, good. It’s also “tiny mirror shapes.”

It may sound like I’m making fun of the Ice Capades. And I am.

But they also look amazing. These days most ice-dancing shows are Disney Princess themed, and lacking in timely beats, so I don’t know if it would be the same. A girl can dream, though. And as I learned from Ice Capades program, 1985, “producing dreams is never tedious.”